The Village, NBC's new drama about the diverse residents of a six-story Brooklyn walk-up named the Village, pays tribute to everyday heroes who are there for one another. "Each character is trying to be a better person against great odds," says executive producer Mike Daniels. As they confront everything from first love to mortality, he adds, "we're putting out messages of connectivity and hope." (No surprise, The Village airs after the angsty This Is Us.)

Apartment 1A

Ava Behzadi (Moran Atias), an Iranian immigrant and mom to elementary-schooler Sami (Ethan Maher), may not answer the doorbell. "She has a problem with Immigration," says Daniels. But she has her neighbors' support…and maybe her ex's?

Apartment 3D

Go ahead, say hi to quiet Ben Jones (Jerod Haynes). Having recovered from a tragedy, "he's breaking out from a solitary life," says Daniels. Alas, "that past is coming back to visit him."

Apartment 5A

Widower Enzo Napolitano (Dominic Chianese of The Sopranos) may be feisty, but he still needs an assist from his grandson roomie, Gabe (The Secret Life of the American Teenager's Daren Kagasoff). And vice versa, Daniels explains: "Gabe moved into Enzo's rent-controlled apartment so he could afford a place to live while he went to law school."

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Apartment 5B

It's tight quarters for single nurse Sarah Campbell (Michaela McManus of SEAL Team) and her idealistic teen, Katie (Grace Van Dien). Notes Daniels: "Sarah has thrown herself into raising this daughter who is now becoming an adult." Has Mom lost herself?

Apartment 6B

Afghanistan vet (and resident heartthrob) Nick Porter (Warren Christie) scores a rent-free pad in the opener compliments of a pair of do-gooders. Battlefield memories torment Nick, says Daniels, as he starts "a new life that feels foreign to him."